A Matter of Trust
by Shawny Wong
Summary: A collection of drabbles written for the yyh100 Live Journal community. Drabbles will probably focus on character study, with the occasional romance or action adventure. Pairings that I tend to favor: Yusuke x Keiko, Kurama x Botan, Kuwabara x Yukina.
1. Collection 01: A Matter of Trust

**A Matter of Trust and Other Drabbles**

**by Shawny Wong **

Disclaimers: The following is a work of fan fiction. Yu Yu Hakusho is a copyright (c) of Yoshihiro Togashi / Shueisha Fuji TV., Studio Pierrot. The characters of Yu Yu Hakusho do not belong to me. These stories are written without permission, for fan purposes only. These stories are mine. Please do not reproduce without permission. Copyright (c) 2005

Author's Notes:

These drabbles were written for the **yyh100** Live Journal Community. Whenever I complete a collection of 7 drabbles, I will add another "chapter" to this collection. Writing drabbles is a lot of fun - and good practice for me, especially since I haven't written anything creative in 5 years. As such, some drabbles turned out well, and others... need work.

Please enjoy. C&C are much appreciated. Flames will be ignored.

* * *

Title: **A Matter of Trust**  
Word Count: 100  
Challenge #14: Friendship  
Characters: Kurama, Yuuske 

Out of all the friendships he claimed, his friendship with Yuuske was the most important to him. Yuuske had trusted Kurama, had trusted him from the beginning - even though he'd had no reason to trust and every reason not to. Yuuske had trusted him enough to listen to his story. Yuuske immediately offered to give up half his life so that Kurama could live. Even Hiei had not trusted him then. They might have worked together to steal the 3 artifacts, but each had their own agenda.

While he had many true friends now... Yuuske was his first true friend.

* * *

Title: **Choices**  
Word Count: 110  
Challenge #15: Sacrifice  
Characters: Kurama 

Sometimes he wondered if his time in the human world, in a human body, made him soft. In his previous incarnation, he would not have thought twice about choosing his life over the life of some human. Why waste his life for a human one? The human life was brief, only a flicker in comparison to the near immortal lifespan of a youko.

But without his mother – and her unconditional love for him – his life was empty. His life or hers? What a ridiculous question! Let her live and be happy.

"Very well then, as you wish, I shall grant your desire!" intoned the Mirror of Utter Dark.

_Good-bye, Mother._

* * *

Title: **Second Chances**  
Word Count: 353  
Challenge #19: Alternate Universe  
Characters: Atsuko Urameshi 

The amber liquid sparkled enticingly in the clean glass.

_Keiko must have done the dishes again,_ Atsuko thought guiltily.

Somehow, she had made a mess of it all. She was an alcoholic – and worse, her son disliked her. Oh, he probably still loved her – probably. But she could see in his eyes and in his behavior that he didn't like her – at all. How many years had it been since he called her Mom? She couldn't remember.

It had been difficult being single parent. She'd been young, uneducated, and unmarried. Whispers had followed her wherever she went.

_Tramp. Slut. Unfit mother._

In those early years, her baby had made them bearable. Yusuke's bright eyes and sweet smiles kept the whispers away. As he grew older and needed her less and less, the whispers became louder, haunting her. Finally, he grew old enough to _understand_ those hateful whispers. And unable to face the disappointment in his eyes, she found solace in the bottle. That had been her downfall.

Then he died.

And she realized with horror that she had missed _years_ of Yusuke's life because she'd been too drunk to spend time with him. (Or if she had, she'd been too drunk to remember.) She had _wasted_ her time with her baby, her Yusuke. He would never know how much she loved him – because she had always been too drunk to show him. It was her fault. And he was gone.

Then by some miracle…

_He was back._

_Alive._

She had a second chance with Yusuke. She couldn't change the past, but she could make a better future for him, for herself. She could be a better mother. She would make a new start for them here, in their new apartment. She would get a job. She would earn his respect.

_No matter what it takes._

The liquid poison spilled so easily from the glass. As it ran down the drain, she wondered at how little the drink tempted her. She tossed the empty bottle into the trash where it shattered, much to her satisfaction.

_I have a second chance._

She wouldn't waste it.

Author's Notes:

One thing about YYH that's always bothered me is Atsuko's behavior. She falls apart when Yusuke dies – which proves she does love him. But when he comes back to life, _she doesn't change at all_! She's still an alcoholic, still irresponsible. I've always thought that his death should have shaken some sense into her. So this is my AU take on it.

* * *

Title: **Speaking without Words**  
Word Count: 127  
Challenge #22: Evidence  
Characters: Yusuke/Keiko 

Keiko knows that Yusuke cares about her whenever he protects her from enemies – human or not. He lets her hit him – or she'd never be able to land a hand on him. He would do anything for her. His spirit self, Puu desires her over anyone else. She doesn't need him to say, "I love you."

She already has all the evidence she needs.

Yusuke knows that Keiko cares about him whenever she scolds him for skipping school – again. She gives him free food at her family's restaurant. She stands up for him when other people malign his character. She ran into a burning building to save his life. He doesn't need to hear the words "I love you."

He already has all the evidence he needs.

* * *

Title: **Brothers Not by Blood**  
Word Count: 128  
Challenge #2: Family  
Characters: Hiei 

Family was precious.

For the longest time, only Yukina – although she didn't know it – had the honor of being his family. He would fight for her and protect her. He would die for her. Then ever so slowly, almost without him noticing, three others became family, too.

He respected Yusuke's leadership and raw power. He silently admired Kurama's cunning and intelligence. And finally, the buffoon's loyalty had earned his in return.

They fought together. They protected each other. And he knew without a doubt that Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara would die for him. The knowledge unsettled him – until the day he realized that he would do the same for them.

His brothers.

Hiei scowled. Kuwabara was his brother-not-by-blood. But he damn well didn't have to like it.

* * *

Title: **Moving On**  
Word Count: 146  
Challenge #26: Crossovers  
Characters: Botan, Sai  
Summary: Crossover with Hikaru no Go.  
Warnings: Spoilers for Hikaru no Go: eps 60-61, manga chapter 125. 

"It's time," Botan said gently, "to move on to the next world."

Fujiwara no Sai wrenched himself away from the scene below where Hikaru was searching frantically for Sai. It hurt to see the young boy so sad.

"The Gods have let you stay connected to the human world because they admired your passion for Go. They felt that searching for the Hand of God was a worthy goal – and so let you continue that search."

"What will become of Hikaru?" Sai wanted - _needed_ to know.

"Hikaru will grieve for you. But he will continue towards the Hand of God – for you, and for himself. You should be proud. You trained him well."

Yes. He could be satisfied with that. Hikaru was his pride and joy. He could pass on knowing that Hikaru would one day reach the Hand of God. "So… Do you play Go?"

* * *

Title: **Practice Makes Perfect**  
Word Count: 382  
Challenge #24: Date  
Characters: Yusuke/Keiko 

Yusuke was a born fighter and a superb athlete. He could learn a complex kata after seeing it once. He could perform a roundhouse kick with flawless grace. But when it came to social situations he had about as much grace as an elephant on ice. None. So it should have come as no surprise that he stumbled – and fell flat on his face, figuratively – when he finally tried to ask Keiko out on a date.

On Monday, he invited her to see a movie with him. Shizuru assured him that a movie was appropriate for a first date.

"No, Yusuke. I refuse to watch another Bruce Lee movie at your apartment. We've watched them all hundreds of times already. I have a math test to study for – and so do you."

On Tuesday, he gave her a bouquet of assorted wildflowers. Kurama insisted that all girls liked receiving flowers – and flowers were the easiest, non-verbal way to show his interest. Kurama would know.

"Excellent, Yusuke! You remembered to bring the flowers for Takano-sensei's art class. But why did you bring so many? We only need to sketch 3 types flowers today. Mind if I take this daisy?"

On Wednesday, he bought her lunch at Botan's suggestion. ("Maybe you should do something nice for her. She's always making bentos for you. Why don't you buy her lunch?")

"Yusuke, are you trying to bribe me? If you want help with anything, just ask. Do you need help with English again?" Then as an afterthought, "Thanks for lunch."

On Thursday, he decided to follow Kuwabara's example. (Kuwabara was forever gushing over Yukina.) So he complimented Keiko's appearance and her choice of clothing.

"Yusuke, are you feeling all right? This is the same school uniform I wear everyday."

On Friday, he had had enough. He was so frustrated that even Hiei's advice sounded good. (Hiei regarded him with disdain. "You humans and your foolish courtships! Just take your woman and claim her.")

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Keiko as she followed him onto the roof of the school building. "You've been acting strangely all week. Hey! What are you…?"

He kissed her.

And amazingly, she kissed him back.

Sometimes, the direct approach worked best. Who knew that Hiei could give romantic advice?


	2. Collection 02: Mistletoe

A Matter of Trust and Other Drabbles

Collection 02

by Shawny Wong

Author's Notes: These drabbles were written for the **yyh100** Live Journal Community. Sadly the community has been inactive for a long time. I'm also guilty of not writing anything for YYH in a looong time. But I needed to take a short break from writing my Naruto fics, so I decided to write something else - something short and unrelated to Naruto. Enjoy!

* * *

Title: **Mistletoe**  
Word Count: 276  
Challenge #71: Give love on Christmas  
Characters: Kurama, Kuwabara

Shotoku University's winter dance was a long-standing tradition, always held after finals and heralded the coming of winter break. And in accordance with tradition – the main dance hall was decorated with evergreen and mistletoe.

Mistletoe! It just had to be mistletoe!

"Minamino-san!" A pretty brunette (he couldn't remember her name at the moment) from his art class slipped next to him. "Are you enjoying the party? Aren't the decorations lovely? Oh, will you look at that!" she exclaimed with false surprise. "We're standing underneath some mistletoe!"

Kurama stifled the urge to bang his head against the nearest brick wall in frustration. He honestly should have expected it. But he, too, had been looking forward to a night of relaxation after a grueling week of exams. The winter dance was anything but relaxing, not with all his senses (and demonic power over plants) actively working to keep him from being molested.

He didn't even look up. "I'm afraid you must be mistaken. There is no mistletoe."

The girl looked up – genuinely surprised this time. "What! Where…?"

"Call me paranoid, but I think there's an excess of mistletoe. The decorating committee went overboard this year." He deliberately ignored Kuwabara's snickers.

That had been the 5th attempt to catch him under the mistletoe within the last half hour. He should have stayed in his dorm – where it was safer. Kuwarbara's sensitivity to the paranormal let him feel the faint tingle of youki around his friend. Coincidently, all the mistletoe within a 10-foot radius of Kurama vanished silently.

"What? Not going to give out any love at Christmas?" he teased his friend.

"It's not love," Kurama responded dryly. "It's hormones."

* * *

Title: **Bound to You**  
Word Count: 166  
Challenge #62: Have I repaid my debt?  
Characters: Yusuke x Keiko

As a general rule, Yusuke hated being in debt. Being in debt meant you _owed_ someone; it bound you to that person until the debt was paid.

Yusuke owed Keiko more than his life. She ran into a burning building to save his body. She breathed life into him to restore his spirit to his body. She gave his life meaning. (He's not sure he would have chosen to come back to life if it weren't for her.) And there were all the little things she did for him:

She stood up for him when other students and teachers maligned his character – even if he wasn't there to hear it. She shared her lunches with him when he didn't bring his own. She never forgot his birthday. She worried about him when he got into fights. She _believed_ in him.

He'll _never_ be able to repay all his debts to Keiko. Yusuke is glad because this means he'll have an excuse to be with her forever.

* * *

Title: **For Mother's Day**  
Word Count: 111  
Challenge #68: Tell her the Truth  
Characters: Kurama

It was Mother's Day. He hated the holiday. On this day, more than any other, he felt like a fraud. It made him… not cranky… because infamous demons just didn't do cranky… irritable and restless – which was strange. A fraud was the least of his crimes. He'd been a thief – one of the best – and a cold-blooded killer. He was a demon, for Enma's sake! None of those things even fazed him. And yet, the fact that he was not the son his mother deserved bothered him more than he could stand.

She deserved to know _what_ he was.

He took a deep breath.

"Mom? I have something to tell you…"

* * *

Title: **Simply Human**  
Word Count: 222  
Challenge #65: no powers of your own  
Characters: Yusuke x Keiko

Keiko was Yusuke's weakness. The realization that she was helpless against his enemies… The realization that she would _always_ need to be saved, like some damsel in distress… It was a bitter pill to swallow. All of his friends were either supernatural beings or had supernatural powers despite being human (like Kuwabara) and could defend themselves.

She was simply human – with no powers of her own.

So she worried about it – and even wondered if Yusuke would be better off without her. (If she left him, then he would never need to risk himself to save her or to protect her.) She was a weakness he didn't need. It troubled her… until the day Yusuke found out.

"Let me get this straight. You think I'd be better off without you – because you have no powers of your own?!"

Keiko nodded mutely, surprised at the anger flashing in his eyes.

"Baka! You're the reason I fight! You're the reason I breathe! You're the reason I exist! You can't leave me because I'm never letting you go!"

With each word, Yusuke took another step closer until he had her backed up against the wall with no escape.

"You're mine and I'll always keep you safe," he whispered fiercely – right before he kissed her so passionately – so possessively – that she never worried about it again.

* * *

Title: **Taking a Risk**  
Word Count: 458  
Challenge #33: Double Edged  
Characters: Koemma, Botan (hints of Kurama x Botan – if you squint really hard)

Koenma sucked on his pacifier in agitation. What a mess! His father, Emma – the King of Hell, was going to be furious when he found out! Yusuke had retrieved all three artifacts successfully. But why – oh why couldn't he have done so _without_ damaging the Mirror of Utter Dark? On top of that, what in the world was he supposed to do with two demon criminals?!

"Make them work for you."

"What?" Koemma looked blankly at his blue-haired subordinate.

"You wanted to know what to do with Kurama and Hiei, right?" Botan asked. "I know it's unusual, but I think you should make them work for you – as Spirit Detectives. The best way to catch a criminal is to think like a criminal. Kurama and Hiei are perfect for the job. Besides, Yusuke needs a team. He can't handle everything by himself."

"Are you crazy? Kurama and Hiei are _demons_! They can't be trusted!"

Botan shook her head slowly in disagreement.

"They might be demons, but… they're _different_. Kurama didn't have to help us fight Hiei, but he did… and got hurt doing it. I trust him. He's not like other demons."

"And Hiei?"

"Have you seen Hiei's file? He's searching for his twin sister. Every single crime he's committed has been for her – to bring him more clues to her location or to give him more power to find her. If we tell him that he'll have more resources to find her, as a Spirit Detective, and help him with his search, then he'll stay loyal to you."

Koemma sucked on his pacifier slowly as he thought over Botan's proposal. It was risky, at best. But… Did the potential benefits outweigh the risk? Kurama and Hiei were both powerful, intelligent demons. _If_ they could be convinced to work for him as Spirit Detectives, they would be a great asset to Reikai (the Spirit World). However, trusting them would be a double-edged sword – and dangerous. He could use it to cut his enemies – or someday it could stab him in the back.

Despite her ditzy attitude and innocent appearance, Botan was a great judge of character – one of the best. He had never known her to be wrong before.

"Hmm… It might work. Do you really think they can be trusted?"

"I would trust Kurama with my life," she said without hesitation. "As for Hiei, as long as we help him find his sister, he'll work for you. And if we do find his sister for him, he'll feel like he _owes_ us – and he'll definitely repay that debt."

Years later, Koemma was glad he took that risk. Kurama and Hiei became _his_ double-edged sword, protecting both the Spirit World and the Human World… from demons like them.

Author's Notes: It always seemed strange to me how quickly Kurama and Hiei went from enemies to allies. In one episode, Yusuke's fighting them. In the next, they're his teammates! This is my take on how it could have happened. Bleh! This was written at 4:00am. Not my best work.

* * *

Title: **Finding My Angel**  
Word Count: 307  
Challenge #67: charming little angel  
Characters: Yusuke x Keiko

He found her again. This time her name was Kaori – not Keiko. But she was still the same. That was all that mattered. He watched from the shadows as the little girl played dress up with her dolls and had a little tea party. She was such a charming little angel at this age. She always was.

His smile was bittersweet.

Sometimes, he wished for mortality. How ironic for a Demon Lord! He could remember several lifetimes with her. Each had ended much too soon for his liking, lasting half a dozen decades at most. Despite loving him – a demon lord – in each lifetime, Keiko's soul remained pure – and would always be reborn in the Human World. He just had to find her.

He laughed silently as he watched the pig-tailed little girl trip in high-heels that were much too large for her. Now that he found her again, all he had to do was wait.

10 years later…

Kaori cursed as she hurried to school. She was going to be late! She had stayed up so late last night studying for a midterm that she had overslept this morning. Rounding the corner, she ploughed straight into a warm body.

_Oh no!_

In an amazing display of athletic grace, the other person managed to rescue them both from an undignified tumble.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going and…" Her breath caught in her throat as she got a good look at the other person. It was a young man who looked to be her age with dark hair and deep brown eyes. And… There was something achingly familiar about him. "… I'm sorry. Have we… met?"

"I don't think so," he grinned at her. "My name's Yusuke. It's my first day here at Arata High School. Maybe you can show me around?"

Author's Notes: Yusuke becomes a full demon – with an immortal lifespan, right? I always wondered what would happen when Keiko eventually dies. I imagine he won't let something like death get in his way! Yusuke's stubborn like that. This one has potential to become a longer story. Too bad I don't have the time to write it.


End file.
